FeNi3 and Ni-Based Nanoparticles as Electrocatalysts for Magnetically Enhanced Alkaline Water Electrolysis

Abstract

Today, hydrogen mainly originates from fossil sources (gas, oil and coal). Room temperature water electrolysis is an interesting alternative for renewable electricity storage, even if it is well-known that high-temperature systems are more efficient. To address this issue, we studied different non-platinum group metals (non-PGM) catalysts for alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) by recording cyclic voltamperograms with a rotating disk electrode set up. Physicochemical characterizations of Ni-based and FeNi3-based catalysts were performed using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Ni synthesized by the hot injection method is a good catalyst for HER, yet still less active than Pt/C. FeNi3 with and without a Ni surface doping are very good OER catalysts, slightly better than commercial unsupported IrO2. Electrochemical tests under alternating magnetic field (AMF) using these nanoparticles are ongoing, as these materials are compatible with AMFactivation.

Water electrolysis: from textbook knowledge to the latest scientific strategies and industrial developments

“…The number of active sites and the activity of the active site (the latter being defined as the intrinsic catalyst activity 24 ) of the exploited materials play a major role in terms of the overall catalyst's performance and are influenced by particle size, 25 by engineering catalyst morphology, 26 and by surface reconstruction into more active site species. [27][28][29][30][31] For tailored electrocatalytic properties and advantageous masstransfer behaviour, optimised electrode preparation techniques and options for post-treatment of electrode materials and ready-to-use electrodes are essential (Section 9).…”

Synthesis of NiFeOx nanocatalysts from metal–organic precursors for the oxygen evolution reaction

“…18 To the best of our knowledge, most of the publications on Ni-Fe based OER catalysts investigate the activity of thin films and only a few are devoted to the use of Ni-Fe NPs. [19][20][21][22] Note that the addition of a stabilizer (such as ligands) is usually required to control the growth of NPs (in terms of size, morphology, surface state, dispersibility, etc.). In this respect, the organometallic synthesis method can provide appropriate answers as it allows obtaining metallic NPs with good control over size and surface state under mild conditions which have already been proved to be efficient nanocatalysts 23,24 including those used for water splitting.…”

The Effect of an External Magnetic Field on the Electrocatalytic Activity of Heat-Treated Cyanometallate Complexes towards the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in an Alkaline Medium

“…From a broader perspective, the role of magnetism in heterogeneous catalysis is underestimated, even though the reactivity of metal surfaces is dependent on their magnetic state. To understand how magnetic fields change the conditions of these chemical systems, it is necessary to learn more about the characteristics of magnetic energy and the associated forces [37][38][39]. Generally, there are two main magnetic forces in electrochemical processes that play a role in inducing these magnetic phenomena.…”